After rampaging throughout the castle for a bit, Vahn, with Lupheria walking to his left in her wolf form, entered the underground, lava-filled dungeon he had put off exploring many years prior.
"Allow me," hummed Vahn, raising his left hand and exhaling a cloud of icy condensation as he emulated the power of the Ice Ice Fruit to send out a deluge of ice that spread out in all directions. The sudden cooling caused the magma lakes and flows to explode into destructive plumes of ash and smoke, but Vahn was able to repel them with his Domain before emulating the power of the Smoke Smoke Fruit to vacuum the noxious fumes into his left palm.
[Acquired 18,492 for defeating Lava Serpent(C-Rank)]
[Acquired 21,394 for defeating Magma Toitoise(B-Rank)]
[Acquired 19,994 for defeating Liquid Metal Slime(C-Rank)]
[Acquired 19,415 for defeating...]
[Acquired 20,880 for...]
Seeing his OP increase by 1,869,518 points in a single go, Vahn couldn't help raising his brows. It had been a while since he entered the Corridor to harvest OP directly, so he had forgotten how rewarding it was.
'Aren't you being a little careless...?' asked Laev-tan, her voice echoing in Vahn's ears and mind.
'What do you mean...?' asked Vahn, expanding his Domain and sweeping his senses across the now frozen chamber. He had been keeping a close watch on their surroundings since he and Lupheria started hunting, so he wasn't sure what Laev-tan was referring to.
'I mean, since when were you so callous toward exploration?' asked Leav-tan, pointing out, 'In the memories I inherited from our union, I remember you being conscientious and respectful. You didn't kill needlessly, and you made an effort to understand the nature of the Corridor and the creatures who inhabit it.'
'Mmn...I understand what you're getting at...' affirmed Vahn, recalling how he used to pity, pray for, and even apologize to monsters that fought hard or left an impression on him. He had even prohibited those who regularly explored the Corridor from wantonly killing monsters that demonstrated a desire to survive. Yet, there he was, feeling happy about taking a hundred lives just because it caused his OP to increase a decent amount and made the area easier to explore...
"Chichi...?"
Noticing the sudden change in Vahn's aura, Lupheria bumped against his left leg with her canid body.
Regaining his senses, Vahn smiled, took a knee, and fluffed up the sides of Lupheria's thickly furred neck as he assured, "You don't need to worry. I was just experiencing a moment of introspection~" in a smooth, almost sing-song tone.
Staring at Vahn's face for several seconds, Lupheria looked like she had something she wanted to say. Instead, she extended her inordinately long and hot tongue to give his chin and mouth several invasive licks like a wolf trying to socialize.
"Alright...let's calm down..." said Vahn, avoiding Lupheria's tongue with an awkward smile before rising to his feet. Then, scanning the ice-laden area with his eyes, he added, "And from here on, we'll advance and investigate as if we're intruders into someone else's domain. We'll defend ourselves if necessary, but we won't attack or kill without provocation..."
"No more hunting...?" asked Lupheria, tilting her head and flopping her ears adorably to the side.
"I never said that..." countered Vahn, shaking his head and smiling as he maintained, "But hunting is fundamentally something done to survive and provide nourishment to oneself or others. If our goal is simply to have fun, there are many other things we can do..."
"Adult things...?" questioned Lupheria, leaving Vahn at a momentary loss as she tilted her head to the opposite side and stared at him expectantly.
"Have you grown weary of being my daughter...?" asked Vahn, raising his right brow. The terrifying image of a giant wolf appeared in his mind as he posed the question, but since there were precedents like Kunou, he didn't reactively refute Lupheria's query.
"Mmn...not yet..." answered Lupheria, punctuating her words by rising to her four feet and trotting ahead with her nose low to the ground like she was tracking something. Vahn followed her with his gaze for several tens of seconds. Then, as he felt they would draw less attention if they looked like monsters, he decided to follow her example, transforming into a large wolf with white, gold-tinged fur and catching up to her...
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While his prime self was exploring with Lupheria and Laev-tan, several other Vahns were at the R&D Division's Frontier Research Lab: Genbu, a mobile fortress resembling a massive black tortoise with a snake-like tail—designed and constructed by Atlas. It repurposed technologies from a world called Darling in the Franxx, so even compared to her past mobile fortresses, it was a genuinely colossal structure at 1,500m tall and nearly 3,500m in diameter. And that was excluding its tail, which added an extra 2,300m to its total length when contracted and 7,700m when extended as a multi-segmented laser platform.
Unlike the magma-energy-powered, city-like Plantations it was based on, the interior of Genbu was dominated by lush greenery, several lakes, and a massive tree that supported its simulated skydome. The concentration of mana and spirit energy within was enough to gradually transform even the most mundane of animals into spirit beasts if exposed for a protracted period, so as Vahn gazed out over the breathtaking vista with a thoughtful expression, reflecting on Laev-tan's words, he was unsurprised to witness a group of crane-like birds with glowing, rainbow-hued feathers fly over in a chevron formation.
'Has my lifestyle turned me callous...?' Vahn wondered, running his hands along the cool stone railing of the balcony he was standing on, providing him with an incredible view of Genbu's layout. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had evidently lost the sense of wonder he had when he first reincarnated and investigated the Corridor. Back then, he felt a sense of wonder toward everything, his eyes gleaming with excitement and his heart racing at the sight of a generic slime. Now, while he would certainly find it a spectacle, he might not even bat an eye at a planet exploding or a star collapsing right in front of him...
'Perhaps it's time for me to relinquish my Authority...' considered Vahn, his brows creasing and his expression turning serious. If standing at the apex was causing him to grow desensitized and lose his sense of wonder, then now, when he was actively seeking to acquire true strength, might be the best time to forfeit the Authority that served as his safety net and license to do as he pleased.
(If that's the path you've chosen for yourself, I won't try to deter you) said Sis, freeing Vahn from his introspection as she added (But I believe you may be getting ahead of yourself.)
'What do you mean...?' asked Vahn, his curiosity piqued.
(As someone who has watched you from the moment you acquired The Path, I can say with absolute certainty that you haven't become callous in the slightest) asserted Sis. (*The reason for your apparent detachment is your Split Processing Skill. Even now, you've split yourself between eleven separate perspectives. And though you've reached a point where you can operate each of them independently, maintaining them detracts from your ability to immerse yourself in a situation. The vast majority of your actions are performed on autopilot, following the most optimal course available to each of your clones.*)
'That...makes a lot of sense...' conceded Vahn, briefly becoming aware of the rapid, completely autonomous cycling between each of his clones. In the very next moment, his focus shifted to the version of himself that was lying under Grayfia, seated atop his face in black hose, white panties, and a skimpy Maid outfit. Four of his eleven clones abruptly ceased to be, but he quickly recreated and returned them to their original positions within a few seconds of their disappearance.
'But I can't think of a better time than now to give up my Authority. As it stands, it will only hinder my growth while allowing the Anathema to grow exponentially...' reasoned Vahn, sliding his hands along Grayfia's smooth thighs as he habitually rubbed his nose against her warm, slightly moist, and intoxicatingly fragrant pussy through the fabric of her cotton panties and silk hose. At the same time, Venelana slowly and purposefully rolled her waist atop him, casually conversing with Grayfia as her pussy writhed and tensed around his cock, ceaselessly milking him.
(*Well, I'm not opposed to the idea. I just don't want you misrepresenting why you're relinquishing your Authority. Misunderstandings like that can have a drastic impact on how a person interprets their actions—often in a negative, self-destructive manner...*) explained Sis, speaking in a patient, slightly exasperated tone.
'Lucky for me, I have the bestest big sister across all of creation watching out for me~' teased Vahn, adopting a smile that didn't go unnoticed by the two Devils riding him. Shortly thereafter, he explained to the two what had transpired in the lava dungeon before revealing his intention to entrust his Authority to a steward. He didn't want to sabotage everything the Pavilion had built and accomplished, so he intended to split his Authority between the executive members of his harem, effectively elevating each of them to the status of Goddesses—with titles to match...
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.
[September 8th DxD/May 2nd DBT]
After deliberately severing his connection with all but one other version of himself, Vahn opened his eyes and looked around the encampment where he, Lupheria, and Laev-tan were resting as he completed the preparations to relinquish his Authority. The process had taken nine months, but thanks to the Training Rooms, his primary body had only been in stasis for around half a day.
Sensing Vahn's movements, Lupheria, who had been sleeping with her head atop his lap in her wolf form, opened her eyes, stood up, stretched, and shook out the tension in her body before proceeding to lick the side of his face.
"And a good morning to you, too..." hummed Vahn, caressing Lupheria with his left while doing his best to avoid her licking his lips. At the same time, Laev-tan, visible only to him, performed a cat-like stretch with her inordinately thick tail wagging behind her before snuggling close to him and asking, 'You ready to stop pretending and become an actual God...?'
"Do you have any advice...?" asked Vahn, prompting Lupheria to briefly stare at him in confusion before realizing he was speaking to someone she couldn't see. Thus, instead of interjecting, she returned her head to his left thigh and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.
'Well, ideally, you would enter a world with a clear path of progression from mortal to God...' stated Laev-tan, leaning back onto her elbows and sliding her tail under her, causing her hips to be raised as she held Vahn's gaze with a playful expression, appending, 'The issue is that, even if you give up your Authority, you still have the ear of those who will wield your power in your stead. They wouldn't turn a blind eye to you suffering, and if you encountered a situation you found unfair or disapproved of, you would doubtlessly be tempted to have them fix things...'
'Would that really be necessary?' asked Vahn, raising his right brow as he pointed out, 'Even if I relinquish my Authority, I'm at least A-Rank in terms of power.'
'Are you...?' asked Laev-tan, narrowing her eyes and adopting a playful smile as she questioned, 'Are you certain you haven't convinced yourself that you're A-Rank to match your position? In the end, you're only a Tier 2 Heroic Soul. Most A-Ranks are Demigods or even higher tiers of being, so you would realistically need to be a Tier 3 Lord or Tier 4 Divine Soul to be as powerful as you believe yourself to be.'
'I see...' Vahn muttered telepathically, staring down at the faintly glowing palm of his right hand. He had doubts about Laev-tan's claims, as he was able to contend against God-tier beings in the Record of DxD even before creating Invirtua, but there was evidence to back her claim. His Soul Tier was, in fact, only Tier 2. Thus, while he would retain his ability to emulate various species and Devil Fruit powers, he would almost assuredly take a massive hit to the physical, mental, and spiritual energies used to sustain his functionally limitless powers. Yet, instead of fearing this, the prospect caused him to feel...excited...
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